Wide area networks, such as the Internet, provide an increasingly popular mechanism for allowing users to acquire and consume digital content. In a typical scenario, a network-accessible book merchant can facilitate the downloading of an electronic book (e.g., an “eBook”) to a local store of a media device (e.g., an eBook reader device). At a later time, the user can retrieve this electronic content for playback from the local store of the media device. Many users find this type of service attractive because it avoids the time-consuming need to visit a brick and mortar establishment to purchase books, music, and so forth. Further, storing digital content in electronic form is more space-efficient than maintaining a library of bulky physical books, CDs, etc.
However, the above-described model is not without its shortcomings. In some cases, a user may find it cumbersome to interact with a remote service to obtain digital content. As appreciated by the present inventor, a service that is perceived as cumbersome may not adequately inspire the same kind of spontaneity in which users sometimes make purchases in a physical establishment. Thus, such a service may negatively affect sales.
For at least the above-identified reasons, there is a need for more satisfactory approaches to electronically providing digital content to users.